


History and Peace

by RosalindInPants



Series: May Drabbles [1]
Category: The Great Library Series - Rachel Caine
Genre: Drabble Sequence, Fluff, M/M, Post-Canon, Romantic Fluff, Trauma Recovery, Vacation, good things can happen in Rome too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:20:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23941453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RosalindInPants/pseuds/RosalindInPants
Summary: Several years after the Great Library's renewal, Wolfe and Santi take a vacation to Rome. Wolfe has had time to recover from his traumatic imprisonment there, and he's ready to reclaim it as a place for happy memories again. Wolfe and Santi deserve a nice, happy vacation, and they are getting it.There will be a couple vague references to Wolfe's trauma, but no details about the things that happened in the prison. Labeling those just to be safe. A couple drabbles around the middle will be on the sexier side, and will be marked as such. The rest are pure fluff.Contents:1. Antique: The Forum (trauma reference)2. Invention: Shopping3. Fashion: A Night Out4. Bare Skin: Back at the Hotel5. Leather: In the Bedroom (sexual content, kink)6. Lace: In bed (sexual content)7. Beach: Ostia (scars mentioned)8. Grass: Palatine Hill9. Rain: Villa Borghese
Relationships: Niccolo Santi/Christopher Wolfe
Series: May Drabbles [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1725844
Comments: 12
Kudos: 6
Collections: Volume Two - May Event for The Great Library





	1. Day 1, Antique: The Forum

The statue of Jupiter towered high, as much a wonder as it ever had been. Looking up at the Roman god’s crowned head, Wolfe remembered. 

Steeped in memories as this place was, he was prepared for the rush. He reached for happier recollections of the Forum, but flashes of the prison below came forth. Inevitable.

He didn’t try to fight the tremor. His hand tightened in Nic’s, but it soon passed. He opened his eyes to see shining, sun-warmed gold. Pigeons taking wing. Thin streaks of cloud against the azure sky.

Smiling, he squeezed Nic’s hand, and they walked on.


	2. Day 2, Invention: Shopping

They stopped by the new bookshop, of course. Not so new now, really. More years had passed since the shop’s opening than he’d spent branded a heretic, but Wolfe’s mind was a stubborn thing. Bookshops and presses would always be new to him.

Alongside the old handwritten manuscripts marked by Library seals as approved for sale, there were rows and rows of printed books. Together, he and Nic browsed the shelves, paging through volumes together. They found a book of Italian sonnets with printed illustrations. A new process he’d helped Thomas develop.

Watching Nic pay for it, his eyes burned.


	3. Day 3, Fashion: A Night Out

One could not vacation in Rome without spending a night out on the town. Or so Nic said. Wolfe was less certain, but he agreed nonetheless. What was love if not an ongoing exercise in compromises?

In his long crimson jacket, Nic looked handsome and fashionable as ever. Wolfe couldn’t match that, but he could make an effort. A black brocade suit, the pattern subtle. A blood-red tie matched with ruby earrings. A bit of kohl around his eyes. Hair loose, the way Nic liked it. Acceptable, he thought. Not terrible, at least.

Reflected in Nic’s eyes, he was radiant.


	4. Day 4, Bare Skin: Back at the Hotel

They returned to their hotel with the moon high in the sky, their heads wine-fogged, their laughter bright. A band played in the street outside, and Nic paid them well to keep at it. The music carried up to their balcony.

They danced, wrapped in soft melody and cool night air. Until Wolfe pulled Nic in for a kiss, and jackets grew too hot. As did shirts. With moonlight glistening on sun-browned skin and starlight glowing on silver-streaked hair, they danced. Slower, closer with each turn.

Hands and mouths found a more primal rhythm. Trousers grew hot. The bedroom called.


	5. Day 5, Leather: In the Bedroom

Beneath his trousers, Nic wore leather shorts. Skin-tight, black, butter-soft in Wolfe’s hands. Wolfe found he was in no hurry to get his lover out of them.

He’d brought leather of his own, a goatskin flogger like one they’d bought for Lupercalia years ago, long since worn out. Soft, for Nic’s taste, but Wolfe saw no need to hasten to the climax.

No, this was a night for slow seduction. A night to push Nic to the wall and admire his strong back. A night to tease with gentle strokes and soft slaps. Leather on leather. Leather on skin. Beautiful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story of that Lupercalia is here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22834861


	6. Day 6, Lace: In Bed

Wolfe didn’t usually bother with choosing undergarments for their appearance. Comfort and durability mattered, and beautiful things rarely lasted long. Like the undergarment he’d found while they browsed the markets. Little more than a scrap of black lace, so very thin and delicate. Impractical and overpriced.

But worth it, for the way the tight fabric showcased his form and made Nic’s eyes go wide and hungry. Nic always had liked seeing him in pretty things. Worth it, when Nic took the waistband in his teeth and the flimsy lace gave way, ripping, shredding.

Worth it for all that came after.


	7. Day 7, Beach: Ostia

Mid-week, with the sun beating relentlessly down, they packed a picnic and took the train to Ostia. Hand in hand, they walked along the shoreline, waves around their feet and sand between their toes, until they’d left the crowds behind and found a quiet place to spread out their towels.

Nic had his clothes off in a blink, and Wolfe took in the view while he unbuttoned his shirt. It was getting easier, as the years went by. As scars faded and tattoos expanded. As better memories overwrote the pain.

Tying his hair up, he followed Nic into the waves.


	8. Day 8, Grass: Palatine Hill

They picniced the next day, too, after a long walk through ruins of ages past, stones and fallen buildings scattered over grassy hills. Much of the city had been preserved through the years, but there were still things that had been lost to time.

Legs tired and stomachs grumbling, they laid their blanket on the grass. Without haste, they sipped pinot grigio and nibbled antipasti. A light meal to complement the walk. Conversation ebbed and flowed, silences comfortable, laughter heartfelt.

After they drained the bottle, Wolfe lay with his head in Nic’s lap, watching the grass sway in the wind. 


	9. Day 9, Rain: Villa Borghese

They spent a stormy day exploring museums and galleries, sharing an umbrella as they ran between buildings.

Emerging from the Galleria Borghese to a downpour, Wolfe grumbled about missing the gardens.

Smiling, Nic held out his hand. "Why should a little rain stop us?"

Wolfe took it, letting Nic draw him out into the storm. Why, indeed. Memories hadn't stopped them. The neverending demands of their work hadn't stopped them. They were here, after everything. Why should rain stop them?

Arm in arm beneath the umbrella, they set off down the rain-polished path into the storm-lit beauty of the gardens.


End file.
